A microaggression is a statement, action or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalised group, such as a racial or ethnic minority.
Microaggressions may include:
- Not being included
- Not being acknowledged – socially or professionally
- Being made to feel ‘different’
Some examples of how this looks might be:
- touching someone's hair
- crossing over to the other side of the street to avoid someone from a different ethnicity
- being treated less favourably or with more suspicion in a shop than a white person
- ignoring someone's messages in a group chat
- offering more support or help to white students
- talking over people with lived experiences of the issue
Why Microaggressions Aren’t So Micro - video